Jewish settler activists left a wildcat outpost near the West Bank city of Ramallah quietly on Saturday, Israeli media reported, 24 hours after battling security forces sent to evict them. Israeli television said that the dispute was defused in talks between army officers and leading settler rabbis. The military said only that all was quiet on Saturday evening. "There's nothing going on there at the moment," a spokeswoman told AFP.
In the Friday clash, activists hurled rocks at soldiers and border policeman, with army radio saying that five policemen were lightly wounded by rocks and one "rightwing activist" arrested. The radio said that about 250 activists took part in the clash, in which security forces responded with stun grenades before withdrawing, as the Jewish sabbath began at sunset.
News website Ynet quoted "sources among the settlers" as saying that the eviction was halted after they pressured ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing government to intervene. Netanyahu will be seeking to maximise support among settlers and their allies in a general election on January 22. Israel considers settlement outposts built without government approval to be illegal and often sends security personnel to demolish them. They usually consist of little more than a few trailers. The international community considers all settlements built in the West Bank - including annexed east Jerusalem - to be illegal.
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